This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
In tissue repairs such as rotator cuff repairs and anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstructions, a suture is typically used to attach soft tissue to bone or to other soft tissue. The soft tissue can be a tendon, a ligament, or cartilage. The suture can be used to hold soft tissue by wrapping the suture around soft tissue or passing the suture through soft tissue. The suture can be attached to bone using a suture anchor. Using knots to attach the suture to soft tissue or to bone may add complexity and time to the procedure.
Accordingly, the present disclosure describes a tissue engaging member that can be attached to a flexible member, such as a suture, or to an elongate member. The tissue engaging member alone can be used as a knotless suture anchor, or the tissue engaging member attached to the elongate member can be used as a knotless suture anchor. The tissue engaging member includes one or more barbs that deflect radially inward to allow insertion of the tissue engaging member into tissue and that deflect radially outward to prevent removal of the tissue engaging member from tissue.